News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-11-17
THE PINKERTON JEWELS.

THE PINKERTON JEWELS.
was swinging comfortably on the
hind legs of my chair one forenoon in
my room at Scotland Yard, when a tele
gram which had Just arrived was put
into my hands, with an intimation from
the chief that was to ''take up the
case"
"Lady Pinkerton, who arrived here
this morning from London, has had her
jewels stolen on the journey. Very val
liable. No clue as yet. Send down
competent men at once to assist local
police. ALGERNoN WADE, Aidan Castle
Darnley, Northumberland. "
So ran the message. It did not afford
much information, and it did not seem
as If there were very much chance of re-
covering the stolen property. However,
1t was perhaps too soon to Judge of that.
/ telegraphed to Sir Algernon Wade,
who, as understood, was Lady Pinker-
tons host for the present, asking that a
description of the missing trinkets should
be sent at once; and arranged that the
description should be printed and cir
culated among the pawnbrokers of the
metropolis and the other large towns of
the country without delay. These nee
essary matters having been attended to,
set out for Kings Cross, and was soon
on my way to the north.
It was late when I arrived at my des-
tination, but 1 began at once to make
some inquiries, First of all saw Lady
Pinkerton herself Her story was very
soon told. The set of diamonds which
had been stolen consisted of necklace,
pendant, tiara, and earrings. The stones
were very fine ones-worth, she had
been told, at least six thousand pounds.
Her engagements had compelled her,
she said, to travel down from London
by night. Her husband being in Scot
land, she was attended only by her maid,
who travelled in the compartment Ga sec
ond-class one) next to that in which
Lady Pinkerton herself performed the
journey. Before leaving town she had
given the iewel-case to her maid, re-
minding her as she did so of the value
of the gems which were intrusted to her,
and charged her not to allow the box
out of her sight for an instant. Accord
ing to the maids account, she never
had allowed the case to be out of her
sight, vet, as matter of fact, when
poor Alice Wright-that was the maids
name-came to open the jewel-case, it
was empty. One or two commonplace
ornaments of little value in drawer in
the lower part of the case had been over
looked by the thieves; but the brilliants
were gone.
I could not help thinking that things
looked rather black for Alice Wright,
and naturally asked how long she had
been in the family, and what kind of
character she had brought from her
last situation.
s'She has been only eighteen months
with me-" replied Lady Pinkerton,
"but she came to me with an excellent
character, and I have every confidence
in her. She may have contributed to
the loss of the jewels by her careless
ness, but I will not believe for an in
slant that she is guilty of helping to
abstract them"
This speech pleased me and rather
surprised me. 1t was more generous
than I had expected from Lady Pinker
ton, who had struck me as being a cold
and sef-possessed woman of the world;
and I could not understand how the
diamonds could have been stolen with
out the maids cOnnivance. l left Lady
Pinkerton's sitting room, and asked for
an interview with the girl Wright. I
found her a quiet, mOdest-loOking, and
really ladylike young woman. There
were traces of tears ON her cheeks, and
she trembled slightly, but that was only
natural. / had been long enough in the
police force to know that no presump
ton either of guilt or innocence can be
inferred from such signs as these.
"Now, I'm going to ask you a few
questions, said as the girl seated her
self opposite me, ''and you'll answer or
not as you think fit. 1t would be no
kindness to conceal from you that
certain suspicion attaches to you in con-
nection with this affair. and therefore
it is my duty to caution you. If you
are innocent, / think your best plan
will be to answer frankly"
The girl merely bowed her head by
way of assent, and l proceeded to put
my first question.
'FYou brought Lady Pinkertons jewel
case with you from London?"
"1 did"
"The whole way?"
''The whole way"
"When you got into the railway car
riage, where did you put it,"
"On the seat of the carriage, close to
me. [ was leaning my elbow upon it
nearly all the way"
GLOW many people were there in the
carriagel"
ga good many at first-seven, think, !
when we started-but most of them left
II I Al
we stopped at next after Peterborough. -
"When you got to York, how many
were there in the compartment besides
yourself 2"
"Three-an elderly man and his wife,
and one young gentleman.
''And after York e.
''The old gentleman and his wife got
out at York. y
"And the young gentleman?"
"He was going to Edinburgh, he
said
$50 you and he travelled alone from
York to Newcastle?"
eyes; that was not my fault. >
"Certainly not. By the way, what did
YOU do with the jewel-case when you got |
out at York;"
81 never got out at York, y answered |
the girl rather sharply.
''Never got out p L echoed.
'I never left the carriage, and might |
almost say I never had my hand or my
elbow off the box from the time we left
London till we got to Newcastle. At
Newcastle Sir Algernon's carriage met
is
I felt considerably nonplussed, but
concealed my thoughts, and put my
lext question with an easy smile.
GAS the young gentleman and you
we're left alone together, L suppose he
reformed various little acts of politeness
or Won Y''